Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations

Sen. Ted Cruz's name used to be synonymous with firebrand tactics to disrupt the health law. Now his fellow Republican senators are more likely to describe him as a constructive compromiser. That doesn't mean he's not facing heat with his constituents, though.

Roll Call:
Cruz Walks Health Care Tightrope, With Eye on 2018
Cruz has been engaged with 12 other colleagues in closed-door discussions on the legislation to repeal parts of the health care law. The senator who once spoke of the pressure to compromise is now welcomed by his colleagues for his willingness to do so. The quieter, behind-the-scenes style is a change for Cruz, according to his fellow lawmakers. Four GOP senators used the same word to describe his role: constructive. “It is welcomed,” said South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, who was open about the disdain senators felt for Cruz. (Bowman, 7/6)

NPR:
'Shame On Ted': Health Care Protests Greet Ted Cruz In Texas
At an event Wednesday night, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz was met by about 150 protesters who oppose the Senate's efforts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. On a hot evening, they stood outside a hotel in McKinney, a north Dallas suburb, shouting "shame on Ted" and "save Medicaid." (Goodwyn and Kelly, 7/6)

Texas Tribune:
Back Home In Texas, Cruz Confronts Health Care Politics
In the town halls and a flurry of media appearances this week across Texas, Cruz has been pitching his Consumer Freedom Amendment, which would allow insurers to continue selling plans that meet Obamacare requirements but also plans that do not comply with the law. The amendment has the backing of the White House and influential conservative groups, but it appears to be an open question — at best — whether some of his fellow Republicans in the Senate, especially the more moderate ones, could vote for it. (Svitek and Wilson, 7/6)

The Hill:
Cruz Faces ObamaCare Repeal Pushback During Veterans Event
[One] attendee asked him if he would call "ObamaCare" the "Affordable Care Act," but the Texas senator said he wouldn't because he doesn't "believe in deceptive speech." "It is widely off by a large factor," he said. "If you look at what is happening with ObamaCare now people are hurting under it." Another attendee accused Cruz of stalling during a long story about his healthcare debate with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on CNN, asking him: "You're filibustering. How are you going to improve healthcare?" Cruz also told an attendee that "death panels" "wasn't my term," after the GOP senator was asked if he remembered the phase. (Carney, 7/6)

The Hill:
Schumer Calls Cruz Healthcare Amendment A 'Hoax'
Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Thursday called Sen. Ted Cruz's (R-Texas) amendment to the GOP healthcare plan “a hoax” that would increase the cost of healthcare. “Make no mistake, the Cruz amendment is a hoax. Under the guise of lowering premiums, it makes healthcare more expensive because deductibles and copayments would be so onerous that many Americans would pay much more out of their pockets than they pay today,” Schumer said in a statement. (Shelbourne, 7/6)

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